Which to use
“setzen” and “stützen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #692
- “setzen” frequency rank
- #8,789
- “stützen” frequency rank
- 9481
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | setzen | stützen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden oder etwas in eine sitzende Position bringen | jemanden, etwas (ab)sichern, zusätzlichen Halt geben |
Where the eye mixes setzen and stützen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between setzen and stützen
A purely visual mix-up. setzen ([ˈzɛt͡sn̩]) and stützen ([ˈʃtʏt͡sn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9481, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
setzen is recorded at frequency rank #692, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɛt͡sn̩]. stützen is at rank #8,789, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʏt͡sn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 9481, this pair ranks #1,979,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of setzen vs stützen
Shared letters: enstz. Private to "setzen": -. Private to "stützen": ü.
"setzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "stützen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- setzen ← estzen · setezn · settzen · setzenn · setzne · setzzen · sezten · ssetzen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "setzen" and "stützen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "setzen" or "stützen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "setzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stützen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,979,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "setzen" and "stützen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stuten vs stützen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,979,741 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.